Outboard motor tilting device



1962 J. w. MITCHELL 3,062,175

OUTBOARD MOTOR TILTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 11, 1961 E1222: far Je sse W M/fchel/ figini 3,%Z,l75 Patented Nov. 6, 1952 3,962,175 OUTBOARD MUTOR TETING DEVICE Jesse W. Mitchell, 4500 11th St. NW., Albuquerque, N. Mex. Filed Aug. 11, 1%1, Ser. No. 130,933 3 Claims. (Cl. 115-41) My invention relates to devices for tilting an outboard motor which is pivotally mounted on the transom of a boat.

Outboard motors have changed considerably in the past few years. Previously they were relatively small and lightweight, and were controlled by an operator who sat immediately forward of the motor and operated controls mounted on the motor. When it became desirable to tilt the motor in an inboard direction to remove its propeller from the water and hence avoid obstructions, it was a fairly easy matter for the operator to do so by pushing downward on a control handle extending inboard from the motor.

Present-day motors have considerably more horse-power than the older ones and hence are considerably heavier, a 250 pound motor not being uncommon. The motors are still mounted pivotally on the transom of the boat, but most generally they are remotely controlled by controls located at a dashboard in the forward part of the boat. Electric starters are used, and cable controls are utilized to operate the throttle and steer the boat by adjusting the angle of the motor relative to the center line of the boat. Hence, it is customary for the operator to sit forward, remote from the motor itself.

The propeller of an outboard motor extends below the bottom on the boat and therefore is the first to run aground of submerged objects, sand bars, or the lake bottom as the shore is approached. It is customary when approaching submerged objects or the shore to tilt the outboard motor in an inboard direction, so that the propeller is raised above the bottom of the boat, usually even above the water level. With the present-day arrangement of controls as outlined above, this has necessitated the operators leaving his controls and walking to the rear of the boat, then exerting considerable effort in tilting the heavy motor inboard. This is not only a physical strain on many persons, but it is a time-consuming one, and in many cases it is impossible to complete the full operation before the motor has been damaged by striking a submerged object or by running aground on the bottom of the lake.

It is therefore a general object of my invention to provide an outboard motor tilting device which is operable from the forward cockpit of the boat and which will quickly and efliciently tilt the motor out of the water by remote control.

Other devices have been suggested to accomplish this same object, but in general they are unwieldy and require special mountings for the outboard motor. At the same time many of them are bulky and awkward looking, destroying the pleasing streamlined appearance of the boat and its motor. Therefore, another object of my in vention is to provide a tilting device which is attached to the transom of a boat separate from the outboard motor transom mount, which is unobtrusive and does. not mar the appearance of the boat and its motor.

Some of the devices now in existence were designed for the old style outboard motor which did not have remote controls, and therefore are not compatible with such controls. It is still a further object of my invention to provide a tilting device which does not interfere with the operation of remote control devices normally associated with present-day outboard motors.

Briefly, my invention accomplishes these and other objects to become apparent, by means of a pair of lever arms which are pivotally mounted on the boat transom on either side of the motor transom mount, and which extend in an outboard direction to a point just forward of the lower portion of the motor. The arms are joined at this point, and also at an inboard location where they are attached to a cable on an electric winch, being expanded in the middle to encircle the motor transom mount. The winch is controlled by a manually operated switch in the cockpit, and will either wind or unwind the cable as is necessary to tilt the arms and the motor in an inboard or an outboard direction. Limit switches are mounted in connection with the pivotal mounting of the arms to limit the extent of the tilt.

A better understanding of my invention may be had by reading the more detailed description to follow in conjunction with the appended claims and the attached drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of my invention installed on the transom of a boat, with the outboard motor shown in broken lines;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same installation, showing the arms in their two extreme positions;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the limit switch and cam assembly; and

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the winch control system.

Referring now to the drawing, outboard motor 10 is shown mounted on transom 11 of a boat by a conventional pivotal mounting 12. Propeller 13 is shown extending below bottom 14 of the boat. Arm assembly 20 is seen to be made up of a pair of lever arms 21 and 22 which are joined at their inboard ends by bolts 23 and a spacer 28, and at their outboard ends by bolt 24. The arms are seen to be expanded at their middle portion, so that they encircle the motor transom mount 12 without interfering therewith. Each arm is seen to have an L shape (FIG. 2) so that with the motor in the running position as shown the inboard portion of the arm assembly is substantially horizontal, while the outboard portion substantially follows the angle of the transom. Each arm is pivotally mounted on the transom at 25 and 26, the common axis of the mountings being substantially in line with the axis of the pivotal motor mount 12 for reasons which will become apparent.

Winch 30 includes a bidirectional electric motor and a gear box preferably containing a set of planetary gears driving a drum on which winds flexible tension member or cable 31. The end of the cable is attached, preferably pivotally, to the inboard end 32 of the arm assembly. It is seen that when the winch is electrically operated, it will wind up cable 31, pulling downward on end 32 of the arm assembly, pivoting the assembly about pivotal mountings 25 and 26. This forces roller 33, mounted on the outboard end of the arm assembly, against the front of the lower portion of motor 10, pivoting it on its motor mount 12 and tilting the motor so that propeller 13 is raised to a desired predetermined position. The arm assembly is shown in broken lines in its extreme inboard or raised position 20. If the axis .of the arm pivotal mountings 25 and 26 is in line with the axis of the pivotal motor mount 12, roller 33 will not move with respect to the motor as the motor is tilted. However, if these axes are not perfectly aligned there wil be some movement of the roller with respect to the motor. The purpose of the roller, then, is to allow for this relative movement without damage to the motor or to the arm assembly.

I have found it advisable not to rely on manual control of the winch to limit the degree of tilt of the motor, since my device is designed to operate very quickly and since some persons might not react in time to prevent damage from excessive tilting. Therefore, I have provided, as

shown in FIG. 3, a limit switch arrangement which may be set to disable the winch motor at preselected end points of the tilting movement. As shown, the cam-limit switch assembly is part of arm pivotal mounting 25, although it could as easily be part of mounting 26. Arm 26 is seen to be fastened to shaft 40 which is pivotally mounted within housing 41. Cams 42 and 43 are adjustably mounted on shaft 40 by means of set screws not shown. Limit switches 44 and 45 are mounted on the housing in operative relationship to the cams, switch 44 being shown in FIG. 3 as operated by cam 42, and switch 45 being shown in a nonoperated state. It is seen that as shaft 40 rotates, the extended portion of cam 42 will move away from switch 44 allowing the switch to resume its nonoperated position, while the extended portion of cam 43 will push against switch 45, operating it.

The winch control means is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4 as including a battery 59 which is normally associated with the outbomd motor, connected in series with motor 51 which has two sets of windings for the two directions of rotation. Manually operated switch 52 has its center pole connected to the battery and is capable of two positions (with an optional neutral position) corresponding to the desired tilting action to either raise or lower the lower portion of outboard motor 10. Switch 52 is shown in the raise position which completes an electrical circuit including battery 50, closed contacts 53 of limit switch 45 and the correct winding of motor 51 which will turn the winch in the correct direction to wind up cable 31. This will cause the motor to tilt in an inboard direction, turning cam 43 until its projection opens limit switch 45, breaking the circuit and stopping the tilting action. Meanwhile, cam 42 has turned so that its extended portion no longer holds limit switch 44 with its contacts 54 open, so that the closed contacts are ready for the lowering operation.

Reversal of manually operated switch 52 to the lower position will then complete a circuit through the other winding of motor 51, causing winch 30 to unwind cable 31 and thereby allowing outboard motor 10 to return to the running position. When the lower limit is reached, cam 42 will return to the position shown in FIG. 4 and open the electrical circuit preventing further motion of the motor 10. It is seen that if manually operated switch 52 is placed in its neutral position at any time during the raising or lowering operation, it will break the circuit and stop the tilting action.

Another advantage of my invention is that it is not attached to the motor 10 at any point, so if the submerged portion of the motor strikes a submerged object, the motor is free to tilt on its pivotal mounting 12 thus lessening or preventing damage to the motor. Also, since cable 31 is flexible, if for some reason the electrical con trol circuit or the winch motor should become inoperative, the operator may push downward on inboard end 32 of the arm assembly, thereby tilting the motor out of the water. My device thereby provides increased leverage for the operator in manually tilting the motor if it becomes necessary.

Boat transoms vary in height, so I have provided an adjustment in arms 21 and 22 to take care of this. This is shown in FIG. 2, where arm 22 is seen to consist of two overlapping portions 55 and 56 held together by means of bolts 57. Extra holes are provided in these portions of the arms for vertical adjustment relative to each other depending upon the height of the transom.

My outboard motor tilting device is seen to be simple in operation and in structure. It can be economically manufactured and it is lightweight. Also, it does not detract from the trim lines of the boat and motor. It is easily installed without removing the motor from its mounting on the transom of the boat. In a model which I have built, a pound motor can be tilted to a position completely out of the water in less than three seconds. This speed may be changed by increasing or decreasing the diameter of the winch drum. It is returned to its running position in one second. If desired, the motor may be removed from the boat without removing the tilting apparatus.

I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention without intending to limit my patent protection thereto. It is understood that those skilled in the art may make modifications thereon without departing from the sphere and scope of the invention as defined in the claims below.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for tilting an outboard motor pivotally mounted on a boat transom, comprising:

a pair of generally L-shaped arms joined at each end and expanded in the middle to encircle the motor transom mount, the inboard ends having a cable pivotally attached thereto, and the outboard ends having a roller for bearing against the forward lower portion of the outboard motor;

means for pivotally mounting on the transom each arm inboard of the corner of the L, on an axis approximately aligned with the motor mounting axis;

an electrically powered winch for Winding and unwinding the cable;

and winch control means including a manually operated bi-directional switch, and a pair of cam-operated limit switches each adapted and arranged in conjunuction with the arm pivotal mounting means to disable the winch at preselected limiting positions of the arms;

whereby manual closure of the switch in the proper direction will start the winch, pivoting the tilting device and thereby tilting the motor from its previous position until the switch is opened or reversed, or until a limit switch is automatically operated.

2. The outboard motor tilting device of claim 1 Wherein the arm pivotal mounting means comprises:

a pair of brackets fastened to the transom, one at either side of the motor transom mount;

a pair of shafts rotatively supported by said brackets, each shaft retaining one of the L-shaped arms, one of said shafts carrying a pair of adjustable cams;

and a housing for the cam-carrying shaft, holding the pair of limit switches in operative relationship to said cams.

3. The outboard motor tilting device of claim 2 wherein the length of the arms on the outboard side is adjustable for specific motor and transom dimensions by means of overlapping members having a plurality of alignable holes for receiving fastening means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

